Current voice mail systems commonly used in home and office settings frequently provide an outgoing message and record a single string of audio input data. This audio data string is usually recorded on an electronic or magnetic media. A date stamp and/or caller identification information may be appended to the audio data string. In contrast to a message taken by a human who may ask questions such as "Who is calling? What is your number? What is the call regarding? When is the best time to reach you?", etc., a message left on a conventional machine may leave out important information, including answers to the above questions or other information.
Machines do exist that prompt an incoming caller for name, address, and related information, for example, for receiving product literature and the like. A disadvantage of these machines is that they are generally expensive and undesirably complicated to program and not user friendly during message playback.